Lac-Mégantic disaster court case delayed

LAC- MEGANTIC, Que. — The criminal case stemming from the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster has been delayed until Dec. 1, when a trial date may be set for three men each charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death.

Defunct rail company Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway, train driver Tom Harding, railway traffic controller Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre, the manager of train operations, have all pleaded not guilty and opted for a jury trial.

On July 6, 2013, a parked train broke loose, roared downhill toward Lac-Mégantic and bounced off the tracks, wiping out much of the downtown area and killing 47 people.

Demaitre and Harding were present in court Tuesday as the case was delayed when Demaitre’s lawyer, Gaétan Bourassa, recused himself because his client was told he didn’t qualify for legal aid. Bourassa said a lengthy trial and the relative remoteness of Lac-Mégantic from a major centre may limit Demaitre’s choices.

“The accessibility to lawyers who are available is limited,” Bourassa said. “It complicates things for Mr. Demaitre to find a lawyer.”

Thomas Walsh, who represents Harding, doesn’t expect a trial to begin before the fall of 2016. “That’s a reasonable estimate, taking into account the Crown hasn’t been really all that proactive about telling us what their case is all about.”